The present technology relates to a thermal transfer sheet, a transferred image receiving sheet, and a thermal transfer method.
In recent years, in place of silver salt type photography, a photo kiosk and the like in which a photographic image is selected by a computer used as a terminal equipment and an image of the selected photograph is outputted by a printer based on a dye diffusion thermal transfer system have come to be widely installed, in view of the high immediate printing properties offered by the printer of the dye diffusion thermal transfer system. As a cyan dye in the printer of the dye diffusion thermal transfer system, indoaniline dyes are often used from the viewpoints of sensitivity, print storage stability, hue, etc.
Meanwhile, in image printing methods using an ink jet system or the above-mentioned dye diffusion thermal transfer system, it is an important requirement to maintain the quality of prints. In order to meet the requirement, a variety of methods have been proposed.
For instance, Japanese Patent Publication No. Sho 62-26319 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1) describes a technology in which a phenol derivative substituted by a tertiary alkyl at at least one of the ortho-positions with respect to the hydroxyl group is contained as a dye image fading preventive agent in an ink jet printing paper, whereby light fastness of ink jet dyes is prevented from being deteriorated.
In addition, Japanese Patent Publication No. Hei 5-36779 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 2) describes a technology in which a specific compound is contained in a transferred image receiving element for heat-sensitive sublimatic transfer material, whereby light fastness of prints is enhanced.
Furthermore, Japanese Patent No. 2714659 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 3) describes a technology in which an antioxidant having a hindered phenol skeleton of a specified structure is added to a sublimatic transfer transferred image receiving sheet, whereby light fastness is enhanced.